In the two and a half years that Chandler had known Joe and Monica as a
couple they had fought a lot. The fights usually ended with one of them
storming out and Monica crying, but he had never seen her cry this hard.
It was as if the person she cared about most in this world had died, she
couldn't get a single word out, she could barely breath, all she could do
was cry. For a moment Chandler was afraid that someone had been hurt; in
the back of his mind he worried that someday one of their fights would
cross that line.
"Monica, sweetie, you need to tell me what's wrong. Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
She just shook her head, her body trembling as she sobbed.
"Then what is it?" He knew she wasn't going to answer so he just held her, waiting for the tears to subside and wondering how things had ever gotten to this point.
When Chandler first met Monica she was nothing like he had pictured her. The way Ross had described her he imagined some whiny, sniveling child who could never live without a man or attract a decent one. Well, to be honest the first few times he met her he projected a lot of what he had imagined onto her. But as they all grew up Chandler realized how wrong he had been. Yes, it was painfully obvious that Monica believed she was incomplete without a man in her life, but she was surprisingly self-sufficient and she had made everything happen herself; Monica waited for no one.
Chandler liked Joe when he first met him and, in spite of himself, he still liked him now. Deep down Joe was a nice guy and he always shot from the heart, but he couldn't commit to anything. The pressure to find your mate in college affected Joe too, everyone told him that Monica was a great catch, so a month before graduation he proposed and, much to his dismay, she accepted.
Monica needed time to plan her dream wedding so she asked Chandler if he wanted a roommate. She figured that Joe could live with him until the wedding after which they would move into the apartment that Monica's grandmother left her.
And so began the hardest two years of Chandler's life.
Most of the time he liked living with Joe, the guy was a lot of fun to be around and ever since Ross and Carol got married Chandler had been a little lonely. When Joe moved in it meant that he had someone to do guy stuff with. Watching Baywatch alone was pathetic, but watching Baywatch with another guy and deciding whose boobs were real and what Caroline was like in bed, now that was cool.
The first month that they were roommates was great and plus Monica was over all of the time. The great thing about Monica and Joe was that they weren't all lovey dovey, it didn't make Chandler uncomfortable to be around them. At least Chandler thought it was great, but after a month he realized why they weren't lovey dovey.
Chandler had been working late and when he got home the lights were out and Joe and Monica were fooling around on the couch.
"Sorry guys, I'm just going to go to my room and go to sleep. I won't bother you, I promise."
"Who's that?" It was a woman's voice, a voice he didn't recognize.
"No one." That voice he knew, it was Joe's voice.
Chandler wanted to hate Joe; more than anything he wished he could just loathe Joe with every bone in his body, but he couldn't. They were friends and while he hated the things Joe did he could not seem to hate him. Joe loved Monica but he was nowhere near ready to get married and so he made excuses and acted like an ass to push Monica away, so she would leave him. Of course Joe never told Chandler any of this stuff, the deepest conversation they ever had was about Pamela Anderson's tattoos, but Chandler knew.
He hated himself for not saying anything. He valued his friendship with Joe but it broke his heart to see the pain he was causing Monica. And now as he stood there with her crying in his arms, watching her world fall apart, he felt powerless. Then he started to get angry. Angry at everyone. He was angry at Joe for being such an ass hole, he was angry at Monica for putting up with his shit and he was angry at himself for being indifferent, for just standing there and letting it all happen and never trying to stop it. Chandler valued his friendship with Joe enough to keep him from ever telling Monica the way he really felt, but it didn't have to stop him from saving her from this dead end marriage.
"Okay, you don't have to tell me what happened, but you can't stay here. Do you want me to take you to Ross's?"
She shook her head.
"How about Rachel?"
"No."
At least she spoke, he thought.
"Alright, where do you want me to take you?"
He waited for what seemed like hours as she struggled to speak through her sobs; all the while he was terrified that Joe would come bursting through the door at any moment.
"I don't know," she finally managed to choke out, "just…please…don't leave me."
Oh God, he thought. He had waited so long to hear her say something like that, but he knew it didn't mean what he wanted. So, he swallowed his feelings and tried to do the right thing, which, coincidentally was also the hardest thing.
"I won't leave you, I promise. We'll just go back to my apartment so you can calm down and we can talk it out or you can just get some sleep. Whatever you want."
She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with tears, and whispered "thank you."
It was all he could do to hold back his own tears. He was right in the middle of a nightmare. He was in love with a woman who was the sister of one friend and the wife of another and now he was her support system. He longed for the good old days when girls had cooties.
"Anything for you."
"Monica, sweetie, you need to tell me what's wrong. Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
She just shook her head, her body trembling as she sobbed.
"Then what is it?" He knew she wasn't going to answer so he just held her, waiting for the tears to subside and wondering how things had ever gotten to this point.
When Chandler first met Monica she was nothing like he had pictured her. The way Ross had described her he imagined some whiny, sniveling child who could never live without a man or attract a decent one. Well, to be honest the first few times he met her he projected a lot of what he had imagined onto her. But as they all grew up Chandler realized how wrong he had been. Yes, it was painfully obvious that Monica believed she was incomplete without a man in her life, but she was surprisingly self-sufficient and she had made everything happen herself; Monica waited for no one.
Chandler liked Joe when he first met him and, in spite of himself, he still liked him now. Deep down Joe was a nice guy and he always shot from the heart, but he couldn't commit to anything. The pressure to find your mate in college affected Joe too, everyone told him that Monica was a great catch, so a month before graduation he proposed and, much to his dismay, she accepted.
Monica needed time to plan her dream wedding so she asked Chandler if he wanted a roommate. She figured that Joe could live with him until the wedding after which they would move into the apartment that Monica's grandmother left her.
And so began the hardest two years of Chandler's life.
Most of the time he liked living with Joe, the guy was a lot of fun to be around and ever since Ross and Carol got married Chandler had been a little lonely. When Joe moved in it meant that he had someone to do guy stuff with. Watching Baywatch alone was pathetic, but watching Baywatch with another guy and deciding whose boobs were real and what Caroline was like in bed, now that was cool.
The first month that they were roommates was great and plus Monica was over all of the time. The great thing about Monica and Joe was that they weren't all lovey dovey, it didn't make Chandler uncomfortable to be around them. At least Chandler thought it was great, but after a month he realized why they weren't lovey dovey.
Chandler had been working late and when he got home the lights were out and Joe and Monica were fooling around on the couch.
"Sorry guys, I'm just going to go to my room and go to sleep. I won't bother you, I promise."
"Who's that?" It was a woman's voice, a voice he didn't recognize.
"No one." That voice he knew, it was Joe's voice.
Chandler wanted to hate Joe; more than anything he wished he could just loathe Joe with every bone in his body, but he couldn't. They were friends and while he hated the things Joe did he could not seem to hate him. Joe loved Monica but he was nowhere near ready to get married and so he made excuses and acted like an ass to push Monica away, so she would leave him. Of course Joe never told Chandler any of this stuff, the deepest conversation they ever had was about Pamela Anderson's tattoos, but Chandler knew.
He hated himself for not saying anything. He valued his friendship with Joe but it broke his heart to see the pain he was causing Monica. And now as he stood there with her crying in his arms, watching her world fall apart, he felt powerless. Then he started to get angry. Angry at everyone. He was angry at Joe for being such an ass hole, he was angry at Monica for putting up with his shit and he was angry at himself for being indifferent, for just standing there and letting it all happen and never trying to stop it. Chandler valued his friendship with Joe enough to keep him from ever telling Monica the way he really felt, but it didn't have to stop him from saving her from this dead end marriage.
"Okay, you don't have to tell me what happened, but you can't stay here. Do you want me to take you to Ross's?"
She shook her head.
"How about Rachel?"
"No."
At least she spoke, he thought.
"Alright, where do you want me to take you?"
He waited for what seemed like hours as she struggled to speak through her sobs; all the while he was terrified that Joe would come bursting through the door at any moment.
"I don't know," she finally managed to choke out, "just…please…don't leave me."
Oh God, he thought. He had waited so long to hear her say something like that, but he knew it didn't mean what he wanted. So, he swallowed his feelings and tried to do the right thing, which, coincidentally was also the hardest thing.
"I won't leave you, I promise. We'll just go back to my apartment so you can calm down and we can talk it out or you can just get some sleep. Whatever you want."
She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with tears, and whispered "thank you."
It was all he could do to hold back his own tears. He was right in the middle of a nightmare. He was in love with a woman who was the sister of one friend and the wife of another and now he was her support system. He longed for the good old days when girls had cooties.
"Anything for you."